CFA Results

CroatianExpress

5-Year Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Messages
5
Hi
I recently took my CFA and here are my results. i was just wondering if these are any good
b ball throw - 64 ft
pull ups - 13
shuttle - 11.1 secs :thumbdown:
sit ups - 70
push ups - 46
mile - 6:17

i did all of this after a 2 hour rowing practice though and it was raining which i think affected my shuttle greatly. and will i be able to retake it and resend my results after these have been submitted? thanks
 
Overall, the scores are good. If you're a male (assume you are), you want to increase your crunches and push-ups. Mile is great! Shuttle run a bit slow.

You can retake the CFA. Just let your RD know you want to resubmit and he/she can "clear" your old scores so the new ones can be submitted.
 
Thanks for your feed back! Yes, I am a male. In your opinion, are these results competitive? I know you said to increase my crunches and push ups, but are these legitimate scores to send. I think I am just being paranoid but any advice would be great.

ps-- i most likely will re take the cfa
 
Pullups, situps, and pushups can be improved and are easy to improve. Work on those, as well as your shuttle run. The basketball throw is about average based on what I saw at NASS. The mile is good.

In the end, you've maxed no events, so everything can be improved. The higher your scores, the more competitive your profile.
 
Don't stress too much about the CFA... but just for a point of reference, the PRT (physical readiness test, we take it every semester) maximums are 101 pushups, 101 situps, 8:15 mile and a half. The PRT actually is a considerable factor in your rankings and such, and if you want to be a marine, SEAL, etc, you'll at least want to max the strength.
 
Don't stress too much about the CFA... but just for a point of reference, the PRT (physical readiness test, we take it every semester) maximums are 101 pushups, 101 situps, 8:15 mile and a half. The PRT actually is a considerable factor in your rankings and such, and if you want to be a marine, SEAL, etc, you'll at least want to max the strength.

Really? You would characterize the influence of PRT scores on class standing as a "considerable factor"?

No.

Yes, it has some effect - but hardly "considerable."
 
Really? You would characterize the influence of PRT scores on class standing as a "considerable factor"?

No.

Yes, it has some effect - but hardly "considerable."

It can. If you do exceptionally poorly (C or lower) it definitely will because that's not an area that can be brought up as a positive for you in murder boards (rankings). Stuff like PRT and GPA that's already factored into your order of merit isn't "supposed" to get mentioned there but always does.

Failing the PRT is a good way to instantly bump your way down to a C in aptitude and therefore torpedo your military order of merit and miss out on some opportunities (detail, semester exchange, etc). Rocking the PRT (95%+) can help you out, especially if you're trying to go SEALs/EOD (not as much for Marines...they care, but care more about PFT/CFT) but honestly the exact grade you get for the PRT doesn't usually matter if it's above a B.
 
It can. If you do exceptionally poorly (C or lower) it definitely will because that's not an area that can be brought up as a positive for you in murder boards (rankings). Stuff like PRT and GPA that's already factored into your order of merit isn't "supposed" to get mentioned there but always does.

Failing the PRT is a good way to instantly bump your way down to a C in aptitude and therefore torpedo your military order of merit and miss out on some opportunities (detail, semester exchange, etc). Rocking the PRT (95%+) can help you out, especially if you're trying to go SEALs/EOD (not as much for Marines...they care, but care more about PFT/CFT) but honestly the exact grade you get for the PRT doesn't usually matter if it's above a B.

True, doing poorly on the PRT may hurt in any effort to get certain service selections, but it is not weighted nearly as much as academics. Consequently, it does not have that great of an effect (relatively speaking) on one's overall class standing.

You'd much rather get a "C" on the PRT and an "A" in Physics as opposed to the other way around; getting an "A" on the PRT and a "C" in Physics ... unless, of course, you want to be a SEAL. But if you want to go Air, Subs, or get a good ship selection for SWO (those 3 probably constitute 60+% of the Brigade) ... the PRT is not going to be that big of a deal.
 
Just like there is more to Admissions than academics, there is also more to being a Midshipman than academics. Poor PFT results will preclude many leadership positions as will it result in subsquad which also precludes many activities. Not a good place to be.
 
Just like there is more to Admissions than academics, there is also more to being a Midshipman than academics. Poor PFT results will preclude many leadership positions as will it result in subsquad which also precludes many activities. Not a good place to be.

That is a philosophical perspective of the importance of the PRT.

Naturally, if a student consistently fails the PRT - that is a big deal. Yet, failing an academic course is a BIGGER deal.

Let's dispense with discussions of extremes.

Let's say a midshipman gets B's and C's on his PRT - a pretty mediocre performance.

Yet, that same midshipman is getting A's and B's in his academic courses.

That is FAR better than having those grades switched around. Monumentally so!!!

I understand what you're saying - for instance, you cannot be a Plebe Summer squad leader unless you have an "A" on the PRT. Whoop-dee-doo!
 
Last edited:
Hey, some of us liked that job....

Don't get me wrong - I think that's a great job, too. I did that when I was a midshipman and I think it may have been one of the most rewarding experiences. One of the Plebes in my squad was "Mister Klunder!" from Alexandria, VA.

Hell, if I knew he was going to be a future Commandant (when my own sons were there), I would have been a lot nicer to him. Matt has since forgiven me. :smile:

Still, the bottom line is that it's ALL ABOUT service selection and class standing. Whether you got the pleasure of being a Plebe Summer squad leader or not, in the big scheme of things, means very little.

Unquestionably, the goal is to do well in EVERYTHING. Coming up short in a certain area is always going to cost you something ... somewhere.

Still, I maintain, the worst thing to struggle with is academics. That would be far more costly.
 
It can. If you do exceptionally poorly (C or lower) it definitely will because that's not an area that can be brought up as a positive for you in murder boards (rankings). Stuff like PRT and GPA that's already factored into your order of merit isn't "supposed" to get mentioned there but always does.

Failing the PRT is a good way to instantly bump your way down to a C in aptitude and therefore torpedo your military order of merit and miss out on some opportunities (detail, semester exchange, etc). Rocking the PRT (95%+) can help you out, especially if you're trying to go SEALs/EOD (not as much for Marines...they care, but care more about PFT/CFT) but honestly the exact grade you get for the PRT doesn't usually matter if it's above a B.

What are the standards to receive an A,B, or C on the PRT?
 
http://campus.fortunecity.com/sociology/724/prt.html

This is the best PRT calculator I've found not on the intranet (only accessible at USNA). Don't use other Navy PRT calculators since they use a different scale and have lower standards.

The run scores are a little buggy. It says that a perfect score for the run (males) is like a 9:45 or something when it's really an 8:15. For females it seems pretty dead on.

Here's a chart that looks to be more accurate (also, you don't get to swim the PRT. Run only.):

http://www.usna.org/handbook/prtstandards.html
 
I understand what you're saying - for instance, you cannot be a Plebe Summer squad leader unless you have an "A" on the PRT. Whoop-dee-doo!
If you are going to a SA solely for the academics, why not go to a civilian school instead? It is experiences such as Plebe Summer squad leadert, Company Commander, etc. that makes the Academy special. Experiences that will be remembered a lot longer than a 'C' in Physics. And experiences in leadership development which will mean a lot more.

As far as service selection and the OOM/PRT, submarines is all academics, Marines don't care about academics and have to do well on the PRT, EDO/SEAL had better ace the PRT, and all SWOs cannot get a destroyer out of Pearl Harbor. For aviation, someone whose OOM is too low to serlect has had a lot more problems than a 'C' in Physics or a 'C' on the PRT.

I will also guarantee you that those who choose to settle for a 'C' on the PRT while a mid will be struggling mightedly in 10 yrs simply to pass. Manipulating one's schedule to do well on the PRT and give it the priority it deserves will bode well later in life.
 
Last edited:
Mongo,

I couldn't have echoed your thoughts any better. Service selection is becoming less heavily weighted on QPR/OOM then it use to be (Hurricane12, if things have changed, please correct me). I remember hearing stories from older alumni about how you literally walked up to service selection in OOM order.

One cannot go into USNA with the mindset of focusing strictly on academics....you need to be a leader with credibility....which can be gained from having a genuine interest in those you lead, being a super-star PT stud/studette, mentoring, tutoring others, etc. etc. etc.....all of these things require some amount of time to be spent on and might hinder from one's own ability to achieve all the perfect A's he/she may want.

So from a mathematical standpoint, yes, getting a better grade in academics outweights any other individual grade....but if that is what you are going after, then IMHO you are in the wrong place. One must learn the correct balance between all of the responsibilities and leadership opportunities, while still maintaining your own performance.
 
So from a mathematical standpoint, yes, getting a better grade in academics outweights any other individual grade....but if that is what you are going after, then IMHO you are in the wrong place. One must learn the correct balance between all of the responsibilities and leadership opportunities, while still maintaining your own performance.

It's true that they do not adhere to order-of-merit as strictly as they used to. But, then again, it is not altogether ignored and it still does weigh heavily in service assignment decisions.

If you are low enough in class standing you may never get to do "what you are going after."

Anybody following this thread - there is a lot of politically correct and philosophical rhetoric going on here. Don't kid yourself - high class standing (however you attain it) is still your best hedge to get what you want for service assignment at the Naval Academy.

SWO is still the easiest of all the service selections to get. If that is your goal you can swallow all this rhetoric because, in the long run, it won't matter whether you get all "C's" in both PRT and academic classes. With very few exceptions - THAT'S the truth.
 
Anybody following this thread - there is a lot of politically correct and philosophical rhetoric going on here. Don't kid yourself - high class standing (however you attain it) is still your best hedge to get what you want for service assignment at the Naval Academy.

I completely disagree. You don't need to be top 25% to get what you want. Many communities do not weigh OOM and Academics as much as they use to. They look at what you do outside of class, what programs you have been involved in, some of the summer training assignments.

Additionally, in recent years, if you happened to be a "smart" male engineering major, you might have been drafted to select submarines (need of the Navy).

Furthermore, it is almost an unwritten requirement (with the exception of good reasons) that Marines do Leatherneck --- that is where they are best evaluated on potential to become a USMC officer. For SEALs/EOD, the screeners are the best place to evaluate their potential in those communities. Aviation runs through the entire OOM (and going back to "outside of class" activities -- if you participate in the aviation clubs, ground school class, get your private license, all that could outweigh a somewhat lower QPR).

At the end of the day, the boards want to find the best potential for their communities and grades/OOM doesn't always determine that alone (it is also another reason why your MAJOR doesn't factor into most communities).

Lastly, if you are that guy or gal who sits in your room and just studies and only shows up at required events, you standout and it normally isn't in a good way. As someone previously mentioned, if your concerns are only academics, there are plenty of other outstanding universities to attend; USNA is about making leaders who have a sound technical background (in addition to their major) and have good problem solving/critical thinking skills.

USNA graduates Leaders (not just Scholars) -- specifically mentioned in the mission.
 
Back
Top